An Hour In Farnworth
You might ask, why I spent an hour in Farnworth.
I wanted to take pictures of the Farnworth station and the tunnels nearby and as there is only one train an hour in both directions, that seem to arrive almost together, it meant I had to wait an hour in the rain.
This Google Map shows the station and the town.
Around Farnworth Station
Note the A666 goes over the top of the tunnels. An omen?
Note the following about the station and the area.
- The station has a sturdy reconstructed bridge at each end, which could surely be used to support the overhead electrification.
- I was surprised that there was no obvious place to put the gantries to support the wires between the bridges.
- There was no ticket machine and I had to buy one from a person, which meant a walk up to the office.
- One train an hour isn’t enough, but hopefully this will change with electrification.
- There are no facilities near the station and I had to walk up the hill to Farnworth to get a cup of tea.
- Two locals were very adamant that no new trains will be added, as all money is spent on Metrolink.
The station very much reminded me of Crouch Hill station on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
- Access is from a road at one end.
- They are between bridges.
- How the stations will be electrified is not obvious.
It will be interesting to see how these stations are electrified.
Bolton Station
Bolton station was a surprise, as it is overflowing with lots of Victorian architectural details. Even if trains are a bit sparse.
It is being linked to a new bus station and the whole will be called Bolton Interchange.
This Google Map shows the area around the station and Bolton Interchange.
Bolton Interchange
Note how north of the station, the rail lines split with the Manchester to Preston Line going to the North West and the Ribble Valley Line going to the North.
The bus part of the interchange, is being built between the two rail lines. This is the architect’s visualisation.
Looking at the visualisation, I have a feeling that what is being created and linked to the existing station could be something of which Bolton could be proud.
All it will need is increased train services from Manchester to Blackburn, Blackpool, Clitheroe, Darwen, Preston and Wigan Wallgate.
Some or all will be electric and the others will be run by better or even new diesel trains.
I will be interested to see if Bolton’s profile in the economic scheme of things rises in the next few years.
Are The Electrification Gantries Going In The Middle At Horwich Parkway Station?
Traditionally, when a line is electrified in the UK, either a gantry or a wire is put over all the lines and supported on both sides of the track.
So I was surprised to see these circular structures between the tracks at Horwich Parkway station.
I thought at first, that they were drainage access points, but Network Rail’s are usually rectangular and often covered with a blue grating during construction.
I suspect that the substantial road bridge and possibly the footbridge will be used as supports for the overhead lines, so it would mean that if a substantial gantry was placed at the Northern end of the station, a few central masts would probably give enough support to the catenary, as it passed through the station.
It is possibly significant that there is no circular structure under the footbridge, despite being about the right place in a sequence of structures. If they were to do with drainage, you would still need drainage under the bridge, but if they are for electrification, then the footbridge could be used for support of the overhead wires.
This is a Google Map of the station, with the ends of the platforms in the South East corner.
Horwich Parkway Station
Note the five pairs of white spots along the line, one pair of which is in the shadow of the footbridge.
If you can’t see them click the image and show it in your browser.
Could the white dots be concrete piles for the electrification? As I left Horwich Parkway station, I noticed some piles to the South of the station and they were uncovered, showing white concrete.
Just in front of the train in the station, it is possible to see another white dot between the tracks. A circular structure is also visible in the pictures of the station.
It would also appear that one set of foundations are missing between the single dot and the pairs along the line. Could this be, because a substantial gantry is being erected here, to support the catenary at the Northern end of the station?
So it would appear that masts could be used in the centre at Horwich Parkway station, but after An Hour In Farnworth, I am rather dubious that a similar technique could be used at Farnworth station.
The Site Of Renwick Road Station
On the way back from Dagenham Dock station, I passed the proposed site of Renwick Road station.
This Google Map shows the area.
Renwick Road Area
The station will be on the western site of the bridge that takes Renwick Road over the railway.
These pictures were taken from the train.
There’s plenty of space for a station, but I do think it could be exceeedingly bleak on a cold day.
Dagenham Dock Railway Station
After visiting the Land Of The Giants, my EL2 bus went through the industrial area to Dagenham Dock station.
A few points.
- The area is rather bleak.
- From the station I caught one of the two trains per hour into London.
- Dagenham Dock and the other two stations of Renwick Road and Barking Riverside will need to have a decent bus connection.
It certainly needs substantial improvement.
In The Land Of The Giants
In Defining The GOBlin Extension To Barking Riverside, I traced how the extension will get to the new station. This is a map from the TfL report, which shows the route of the extension.
Barking Riverside Extension
And this is an image of the viaduct that takes the extension over Choats Road.
Proposed Viaduct Over Choats Road
Today, I went to Barking station and took an EL2 bus to Dagenham Dock station.
I took these pictures as the bus went along Choats Road.
The area is certainly one with some of the largest electricity pylons.
Even so, you can understand why the TfL report says this about the viaduct.
After passing under Renwick Road, the alignment would climb on a viaduct curving south towards Barking Riverside, crossing the Freight Terminal, westbound Tilbury lines and Choats Road. The viaduct would then descend to pass under the existing high voltage power line south of Choats Road, before again rising and continuing towards a station at Barking Riverside.
This Google map certainly shows there is a lot of space.
In The Land Of The Giants
It will be interesting to see what the final layout will be.
- The viaduct that crosses Choats Road must be high enough to allow double-deck buses and other high vehicles to pass underneath.
- The TfL route map appears to show that the viaduct follows roughly the line of the pylons to the site of Barking Riverside station.
- Vertical separation of overhead wires on the viaduct and the power lines could be a problem!
- The rail line can’t go too close to the houses.
If the branch were to be built without electrification and services were to be run using the Aventras fitted with on-board energy storage, it would ease the design of the viaduct.
Will London Overground Fit On-board Energy Storage To Class 378 Trains?
This may seem to be a ridiculous idea, as why would the Class 378 trains on the London Overground need the ability to use battery power?
But I have just read this article in Rail Technology Magazine entitled Bombardier enters key analysis phase of IPEMU and it is a detailed article on everything Bombardier are doing to convert the prototype IPEMU into a real train, that can be sold to demanding customers.
- Four different types of battery are being evaluated in Mannheim.
- A simulated five-year test is being performed.
- Bombardier are taking a serious look at the branch-line market.
- Bombardier are evaluating the retrofit market with particular reference to the Class 387 and Class 378 trains.
This is all very sound stuff and in some ways it makes a change to fully-develop the product before launch rather than expect train operators and passengers to find the problems.
One thing that is surprising, is that Class 378 trains are being looked at for the retrofit of on-board energy storage. Marc Phillips of Bombardier is quoted as saying this in the article.
All Electrostars to some degree can be retrofitted with batteries. We are talking the newer generation EMU as well as the older generation. So, the 387s and 378s are the ones where we have re-gen braking where we can top-up the batteries and use the braking energy to charge the batteries. That gives us the best cost-benefit over operational life.
So it would seem that the Class 378 trains of the London Overground are candidates for fitting with batteries. As the trains handle their routes with ease and there doesn’t appear to be any lines without electrification, where anybody has speculated they might run, the only reason to fit them with batteries would be to capture and reuse all that braking energy.
It is an interesting proposition where the decision to fit batteries will depend totally on the accountants.
Obviously, there will be a cost to fit batteries, but as they wouldn’t need to propel the train for large distances, where there is no electrification, the specification could be quite relaxed.
- The capacity would have to be sufficient to hold the maximum braking energy of a full train.
- The battery technology would have to be able to handle the demanding stop/start regime of London Overground services.
- The system must be easy to fit to the existing trains.
- The battery capacity should probably be sufficient to move a stalled train into the nearest station.
A worst case scenario for moving a stalled train, would be hauling a train out of the Thames Tunnel after a failure of the power to the third-rail.
I have a feeling that traditional battery storage is not the best way to handle this application, as it is one that could be met by a larger version of the KERS system used in Formula One. KERS has already been applied successfully to buses, and I wrote about that in Could IPEMU Trains Use KERS?
You can do a simple calculation, which gives the kinetic energy of a hundred and sixty tonnes Class 378 moving at twenty metres per second, which is about two thirds of maximum speed and probably a typical service speed. The kinetic energy of such a train is 3.2 Mega Joules or 0.89 kWh. As an aside, I pay 10.73p for each kWh.
If a train has regenerative braking as Class 378 trains do, this energy can be returned through the overhead wires or third rail and used by other trains on the rail network, if the lines are setup to receive the energy. But it relies on another train being able to pick up the electricity and there are inevitable loses in the complicated transfer of the electricity.
On the other hand, if the train has on-board energy storage, it can store the energy and use it when it starts again at the station. This is a more efficient process.
It should also be noted that over the last year, all fifty-seven four car Class 378 trains have been upgraded to five cars. Does the fifth car have the wiring to incorporate an energy storage device? I would be surprised if it didn’t and that the train software is now capable of being upgraded to incorporate on-board energy storage.
I have no idea how much electricity would be saved by regenerative braking on the London Overground, but various applications of regenerative braking technology talk of electricity savings of between ten and twenty percent.
I think it is only a matter of time before the technology is proven to be sufficiently reliable and the numbers add up correctly for the Class 378 trains to be fitted with on-board energy storage.
Glasgow Subway Orders New Trains From Stadler
This article in Global Rail News is entitled New trains for Glasgow Subway. This is said.
Stadler Bussnang AG and Ansaldo STS have won the contract to supply Glasgow Subway with its first new trains for almost 40 years.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has today (March 4) released images of the new driverless trains, having awarded the £200 million contract.
Stadler is a Swiss manufacturer of rail vehicles, that is not very well known in the UK. Although, some of their products have been sold to run here.
- Six Variobahn trams run on London Tramlink.
- Thirty-two Class 68 diesel locomotives have been delivered or are on order from Vossloh, which since 2015 has been a subsidiary of Stadler. Six are used by Chiltern Railways.
- Ten Class 88 electro-diesel locomotives have also been ordered from Vossloh.
The trams are very much a standard product, but the locomotives are unusual in that they have been specially built for the UK’s restrictive loading gauge. Wikipedia says this about the company.
Stadler Rail is also focused on niche products and is one of the last European manufacturers of rack railway rolling stock.
Look at the products they make and quite a few are not mainstream.
So as the Glasgow subway is small and to an unusual gauge and size, it is not very surprising that Stadler are involved in producing the new trains.
I don’t think that this will be the last order we’ll see for Stadler products in the UK.
This article from the Railway Gazette is entitled Stadler Rail switches its focus from east to west. This is said.
Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail has announced plans to shift the focus of its growth plans away from the CIS and Middle East markets and towards the UK and the USA.
On June 19 Stadler said the Swiss national bank’s decision to uncouple the franc from the euro in January had brought a sudden 20% increase in the price of its products, which was ‘negatively impacting’ the company. Meanwhile, planned expansion into the CIS market has been ‘halted’ by the weak rouble and sanctions on Russia. Stadler has also ‘fallen well behind expectations’ in the Arab market.
With all the new rail franchises starting in the next few years, I think we’ll see some orders. Certainly with all its expansion plans Tramlink will need a few more trams and if the Class 68/88 locomotives are successful, then other companies might purchase some more.
One very large niche order are new cars for the Docklands Light Railway.
But I also think we’ll see a few Stadler Flirts in the UK, as they seem to be selling well.
Defining The GOBlin Extension To Barking Riverside
Transport for London have published the results of their consultation on proposals to extend the for Gospel Oak to Barking Line (GOBlin) from Barking station to Barking Riverside.
To see the full report visit tfl.gov.uk/barking-riverside.
The main points are summarised in the next few sections.
Class 710 Trains
After the electrification of the GOBlin, services will be run using Class 710 trains, which although the line will be fully-electrified using overhead 25kVAC, will be the dual-voltage variant able to run on 750 VDC.
I would assume that this is so that the trains can go past Gospel Oak station to access parts of the North London Line and West London Line that have third-rail electrification and are shared with both London Underground and Southern Electric trains.
Bombardier have also told me, that all Aventra trains are wired so that an on-board energy storage capability can be installed.
When I rode the prototype for this IPEMU technology in public service between Manningtree and Harwich, it felt exactly like a standard Class 379 train and one of Bombardier’s engineers told me the battery range was upwards of fifty miles with a similar performance to the standard train.
In the remainder of this post, I will use Aventra IPEMU (Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit) to indicate an Aventra Class 710 train with an on-board energy storage capability.
Because prospective routes for Aventra like the East London Line and Merseyrail run in longish tunnels, I would think it very likely that Aventras will be certified for tunnels like the Thames Tunnel or those under Liverpool.
Transport for London have certainly ordered a train, that doesn’t limit development of new routes linked to the GOBlin.
Lines At Barking Station
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the rail lines around Barking station.
Lines At Barking
The lines radiating from the station are as follows, taking them in a clockwise direction from the South West.
- District and Metropolitan Line services of the London Underground and c2c services to Fenchurch Street pass through East Ham station.
- GOBlin services to the West, freight trains crossing London and the occasional c2c service to Liverpool Street pass through Woodgrange Park station.
- District Line services to Upminster and the East and c2c services via Basildon take the lines through Upney station.
- c2c services via Rainham, freight trains crossing London and the proposed Barking Riverside service take the lines going vaguely to the South East.
Three platforms will be used at Barking station for GOBlin services, which come into the station from Woodgrange Park in the West and from Barking Riverside in the South East.
- Platform 1 which is the current terminus of the GOBlin will be retained and would remain available to Overground trains at Barking Station to aid service recovery during periods of disruption.
- Platform 7 which is currently used by eastbound c2c trains via Rainham, will also be used by GOBlin trains going to Barking Riverside.
- Platform 8 which is currently used by c2c trains from Rainham to Fenchurch Street, will also be used by GOBlin trains coming from Barking Riverside.
As can be seen on the map, there is a double-track flyover to connect Platforms 7 and 8, which are the two southernmost platforms to the GOBlin to the west.
The only platform and its associated connecting lines that doesn’t have any electrification is platform 1.
Changing Trains At Barking Station
The GOBlin services and c2c services via Rainham will share the island platform 7 and 8 at Barking, which could mean some easier step-free journeys for some passengers.
Plans exist for redevelopment at Barking station and I wonder if architects and planners can come up with a better layout for the station, that will become increasingly important as an interchange. Especially as the station is shared by three ambitious operators; London Overground, London Underground and c2c. All these operators have expansion and/or improvement plans for services through Barking.
Electrification of Platform 1 At Barking Station
No electrification work has happened on this platform until now and the platform could be electrified in the normal manner.
However, it may be more affordable to fit all the Class 710 trains with an IPEMU capability and run them in and out of the platform using the on-board energy storage.
The platform could also be electrified using London Underground’s system to create another bay platform for the District and Metropolitan Lines, if that was to be needed. This would not stop the platform being used by the dual-voltage Class 710 trains,
Obviously, the route planners and the accountants will decide.
Renwick Road Station
This map shows the layout of the extension.
Barking Riverside Extension
Note now the new line curves away south after passing under Renwick Road. This Google Map shows the area.
Renwick Road Area
One recommendation of the consultation is to install passive provision for a new station at Renwick Road, which eventually would make the extension a two-station branch.
The station is proposed to be a simple island platform design and TfL’s maps show it on the Western side of Renwick Road. There would appear to be plenty of space.
Barking To Renwick Road
On creating the required two lines between Barking and Renwick Road, the report doesn’t indicate, it’s anything other than a simple construction project.
Renwick Road to Barking Riverside
The line is proposed to curve off and over the rail lines and roads on a double-track viaduct, which is shown in blue on TfL’s map. The TfL report says this.
After passing under Renwick Road, the alignment would climb on a viaduct curving south towards Barking Riverside, crossing the Freight Terminal, westbound Tilbury lines and Choats Road. The viaduct would then descend to pass under the existing high voltage power line south of Choats Road, before again rising and continuing towards a station at Barking Riverside.
So it looks that the viaduct goes all the way to Barking Riverside station.
Barking Riverside Station
The proposed layout of the station is described in the TfL report.
The station would be designed to fit the look and feel expected of stations on the London Overground network, and would include the provision of step free access from street to platform and platform to train. Other features of the station would include: a ground floor ticket hall, CCTV, help points, customer information systems and secure cycle parking.
The platform level would be on the upper floor as an extension of the viaduct structure. The station ticket hall would provide direct access to Renwick Road and the separation between the railway infrastructure and ground floor ticket hall would allow additional uses to be made of the space, such as: cash machines, cafe and retail opportunities. The station design would include cladding for weather protection, including a canopy to part of the platform to allow sheltered access to trains.
So it would appear the trains are on the upper floor above the station facilities, shops and cafes.
I think this is to ensure that once the trains have passed over the Tilbury Line to Rainham and the freight tunnel, they run fairly level into Barking Riverside station. It could also mean that if the line is extended to Abbey Wood station under the Thames, the track layout to achieve this is not too complicated.
This Google Map shows the location of the station in Barking Riverside.
Barking Riverside Station And The Thames
Note.
- TfL’s map shows the station is alongside Renwick Road, where it joins River Road.
- It is perhaps a couple of hundred metres from the river.
- The housing area of Thamesmead is opposite.
- Trains could take a straight route to a possible Thames tunnel.
I think it all shows that the design of the station has been thought over long and hard.
Electrification Of The Barking Riverside Extension
The total length of the extension from Barking to Barking Riverside is 4 km., with just 1.5 km. of new line.
As with Platform 1 at Barking station, the Class 710 trains give the option of not-electrifying all or part of the extension.
Consider.
- The performance of an Aventra IPEMU running on on-board energy storage, that had been charged before Renwick Road is such, that I believe it could easily handle the extension with a full train of passengers.
- The viaduct can be built with provision for future electrification.
- As mentioned in the TfL report, the line has to be carefully profiled to avoid existing power lines. An extension without electrification, would give extra clearance.
- The Barking Riverside station design is simplified, if it is not electrified.
- The area has overhead wires everywhere and a stylish viaduct without overhead wiring could have a less negative visual impact.
- Are IPEMU trains running using on-board energy storage quieter than those using overhead wires?
But not electrifying the line from Renwick Road to Barking Riverside would reduce the complication and cost of the extension.
Intriguingly, the full TfL report only mentions overhead wires once, talking consistently about four car electric trains and a fully-electrified line.
Nothing in the TfL report precludes the use of Aventra IPEMUs to Barking Riverside and whether this route is chosen will depend on design and environmental issues, and the accountants.
Under The Thames To Thamesmead And Abbey Wood
It is planned to incorporate passive provision, so that the line can be continued in a tunnel under the River Thames.
Barking Riverside station appears to have been designed with several features to aid this continuation.
- Trains could pass through the station on their way to or from the tunnel.
- The route from the station to the tunnel would probably not need any sharp curves.
- Barking, Barking Riverside and Renwick Road stations would probably be sufficient to handle passengers on the north side of the river.
- There appears to be nothing of any importance between the Barking Riverside station site and the Thames, so it should be easy to safeguard a route.
- Barking Riverside station is elevated, so this potential energy could help to propel a train under the river.
- A crude estimate says that from Barking Riverside station to the other side of the river is about two kilometres.
The engineers involved in the Barking Riverside extension have certainly made provision to extend the railway under the Thames.
This Google Map shows Thamesmead and the Thames.
Under The River
Note River Road and Barking Riverside on the north bank of the river, Abbey Wood station with Crossrail and the North Kent Line in the South and Crossness to the East.
I don’t know the Thamesmead area well at all, and from these maps, I can’t work out whether a surface railway could be run to Abbey Wood station from the southern tunnel entrance.
However, a tunnel all the way with intermediate stops would surely be possible.
- As London Underground have thought about extending the Jubilee Line to Thamesmead, I suspect that the area would be amenable to the right type of tunnel boring machine.
- The tunnel could be bored under the A2041 if a direct route were to be chosen.
- A trip from Barking to Abbey Wood and back is probably about twenty kilometres.
- Aventra IPEMUs could handle the route with ease.
- If Aventra IPEMUs used on-board energy storage in the tunnels, the tunnels could be built without electrification.
I believe that there is an affordable innovative solution to extending the Barking Riverside extension under the Thames.
I do question if an extension to Abbey Wood will be needed, as when Crossrail opens, it will be possible to travel from Barking to Abbey Wood with a single change at Whitechapel from the District/Metropolitan Lines to Crossrail.
Conclusion
As it should be, I think it is a well-thought plan.
As to whether the Class 710 trains will use a possible IPEMU capability, nothing is stated, but I believe the proposed design could be very IPEMU-friendly and using IPEMUs would be advantageous on cost, noise and visual grounds.
Their only downside is that they could get derided as battery trains.
I also have the feeling that if the extension does use the IPEMU capability of the trains, the extension will become a model for other extensions and branch lines all over the UK.
The Anonymous Widower 